Tuesday, April 17, 2012

My apologies for the slow update, honey bees but I am back and up and running! I knew I had to try the new Lancome Rouge in Love lipsticks when I saw my major girl crush Emma Watson rocking the bold red hue, Sequence of Love. Lancome's Rouge in Love lipsticks boasts a 6 hour weartime that's light and pigmented all at the same time. One look at the marketing they have up, and how can anyone deny that color!!! To be honest, I was originally in search of a punchy red. I had my sights set on Chanel's famous Rouge Allure lipstick in Gabrielle, a classic red. On my way to the Chanel counter, this lipstick caught my boyfriend's eye and I had to appease him. Once it hits the lips, the formula really surprises you. The problem I have with most lipsticks that claim a long wear time is that they're usually super drying. Rouge in Love's formula is feather light and creamy! And boy does that red hit you like a punch in the mouth! Retailing at a $25 (as opposed to Chanel's $32 price tag), this lipstick was a no brainer for me. These babies are available everywhere they sell Lancome and Sequence of Love is definitely looking like their MVP shade right now. I am dying to try this formula in every color! Have you tried Lancome's Rouge in Love lipstick line? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Everywhere I look I see celebrities rocking gorgeous coral lips! The bright and springy colors reminds me of how my lips would stain after drinking a nice cold glass of fruit punch when I was a kid! These days, Ladies like Demi Lovato, Nicole Richie and Emily Blunt are adding such a fun kick of color to their looks. Even Jennifer Lopez has decided to ditch her signature nude for a bubbly coral pink. The fruit punch shades are easy to pull off for every skin tone, and can range from coral orange to flirty pinks. I have been a little bit obsessed with finding and collecting coral lipsticks for the upcoming spring season. If you are on the more fair side, try sticking to lighter peaches and pinks, like Emily Blunt. The lipstick makes a statement on its own, so feel free to either go simple with your eyes and cheeks or play around with color, like adding a dash of blue eyeliner. Pictured below are my three fruit punch lip go-to's. On the left is Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet in La Ravissante which is a coral red with a matte finish. In the middle is Chanel's Rouge Allure lipstick in Hyde Park- a limited edition shade that is exclusively on Chanel.com. This shade is stunning on the lips, in the tube, and the finish is creamy and glossy. Last but not least on the far right is Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine in Flirt, which is also a limited edition shade. It reminds me a little of MAC's Ever Hip and would flatter most skin tones. I love this formula, but I only get around 3 hours of weartime with it. Will you be rocking the "Fruit Punch Lip" this spring? What is your favorite shade? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Mac has done it again and released another fantastic celebrity Viva Glam campaign. Viva Glam Nicki hit stores February 16 and what better way to homage to an artist with such wacky style then to dupe her colorful look? I love that Nicki Minaj isn't afraid to play with color, and if I had her gorgeous skin I would be fearless with makeup too! To dupe this look, I pulled out my most colorful palette- the Pop Beauty Neon palette. After priming my eye, I patted on the neon green all over my lid and then blended MAC's Velvet Moss eyeshadow very far into the crease. I added shimmery Inglot shadow in 395 right under my browbone. To get that rich blue under my eyes, I ran NYX jumbo pencil in Cobalt under my eye and powdered with a teal blue Lorac shadow from my Lorac shadow box. I used my favorite Miss Ardo lashes in #5 matched with MAC's Chromaline in Black Black eyeliner with a heavy wing. No Nicki look is complete without her signature Grey enlarging contacts. The rest of the look is simple, using MAC Ambering Rose on the hallows of my cheek and of course, Viva Glam Nicki on my lips.

Viva Glam Nicki is a warmer, vibrant pink. Viva Glam Gaga is a lot cooler, and more blue-based and MAC's Pink Noveau is a tad more violet. The texture is creamy and the color is quite opaque. The pink doesn't lean too cool/warm so it will look fabulous on almost every skintone. Retailing at about $14.50, Viva Glam Nicki will be in stores until February 16, 2013 and all proceeds with benefit the MAC AIDS Fund. Bottom Line? What a fabulous pink (just like Queen Nicki herself), how could you possibly pass this up? Pictured below is me doing my best Nicki Minaj impression. Do you have Viva Glam Nicki? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

If you're anything like me, black eyeliner is a must and coming across a really good eyeliner is like hitting the jackpot. I've been a long time fan of MAC's eye kohl in Feline, the smooth and creamy black eyeliner pencil. The only problem? It's a limited edition item and is far superior in quality when compared to its smudgey, messy permanent sister MAC's Smolder. It's been repromoted a few times and every time it is, I stock up. It was hard to find an eyeliner as black and creamy with that kind of staying power... UNTIL NOW. Enter Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Perversion. First introduced as apart of Urban Decay's Anniversary Eyeliner Set, the folks over at UD decided to release it individually and introduce it as a PERMANENT item. I have never come across a blacker eyeliner than this! The surprising thing about this eyeliner is its staying power. As creamy as it is, I was expecting it to smear and smudge but as the day wore on, Perversion stood strong on my waterline! So how do the two eyeliners stack up?

Pigmentation: Both eyeliners are as black as they come, but Perversion goes on a few shades darker. Winner: Perversion

Staying Power: Feline gives a solid 4-5 hours of weartime on me, but tends to get smudgey as the hours pass. Perversion will give me around the same amount of weartime (4-5 hours) but stays put. Winner: Perversion.

Availability: Though Feline is often repromoted, Perversion is permanent. Winner: Perversion.

Packaging: Both designs are your basic black pencil, but MAC's .05 oz has a leg up on Urban Decay's .04 oz. Winner: Feline

Pictured above are comparison swatches of the two eyeliners. As my stats prove, Perversion has the edge in this Beauty Dupe Battle, winning with a solid 3/5 over MAC's Feline. Do you own either of these eyeliners? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Monday, February 13, 2012

After seeing Rihanna perform at the Grammy's last night in leather shorts and almost black lips, I had to post about this winter trend popping up everywhere. These days, women are going bolder with their lip colors and nothing is hotter than the dark, vampy lipstick statement. As seen on starlets like Miranda Kerr, Megan Fox and the aforementioned Rihanna, this trend is all about making a sexy statement. I know a lot of girls will be hesitant to try this trend out because of its high drama, but isn't that where all the fun is? The dark lip has also been seen up and down the runway at fashion week and is pure decadence. The look is versatile, ranging from deep purple violets to black cherry reds as well, and is flattering to all skin tones. To interpret this trend, I lined my lips with MAC lip pencil in Brick, filling in my entire lip. Then, I carefully filled in my lips with MAC's amplified lipstick in Dark Deed and topped it off with MAC's Richly Revered cremesheen lipgloss for that black cherry glossy finish. Keep the look dramatic and vampy with dark winged eyeliner and loads of black mascara. Pictured below is my dark and vampy LOTD. Have you tried out the dark lipstick trend? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

This last Tuesday, I was treated to a preview of MAC's Spring 2012 line, Shop MAC Cook MAC (Shop Shop Shop Cook Cook Cook), before it's released to the public on February 16. The collection is mostly made up of limited edition and repromotes consisting of lipsticks, Kissable lipcolour, Cremeblend blushes, eyeshadow quads, Fluidlines, Tendertones, and nail polishes. I missed out on the amazing cremeblend blushes released with MAC in Lillyland, Optimistic Orange and Florida so I took the opportunity and snatched them while they were available in Shop Mac Cook Mac. These reformulated cremeblend blushes go on like a dream- rich in color and creamy in consistency. Optimistic Orange and Florida are a little intimidating in the pan, but both colors go on beautifully if you use your fingers or a stippling brush. What I also love about these two colors is their versatility- you can use these blushes as a blush, a nice colorful base or a vibrant lipcolor. I love these blushes and highly recommend you try these out! Both Watch Me Simmer and Quick Sizzle were SOLD OUT by the time i was able to get to the counter, but I did snag Kissable Lipcolor in Woo Me, a lovely matte nude. The consistency of the Kissable lipcolor is that of a liquid lipstick and the wear time I get on these is fantastic (a good 4-5 hours!). I also love the tiny hint of pink in this nude to prevent it from looking like concealer lip! Pictured below are my goodies from Shop MAC Cook MAC and my FOTD using Optimistic Orange cremeblend blush and Woo Me kissable lipcolour, along with the swatches (including Florida). Are you excited for Shop MAC Cook MAC? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

One of the most significant psychological effects of cancer diagnoses and subsequent treatment on women is the sense of a loss of control. The process of cancer recovery can involve the loss of self-esteem as well as depression.

As women, we all know that when we look good, it gives our mood a boost. This can be especially important for those diagnosed with cancer.

The skin is one of the organs most affected by cancer and the treatments involved to cure it. One common side effect of mesothelioma cancer is increased skin sensitivity. During this time, it's important to avoid direct sun exposure and to cleanse your skin with warm water rather than with hot, and to use a gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil.

Eye brightening creams and definition of lashes can make a remarkable difference in how you look. A good product to try is Eminence organic eye cream for dark circles. Another product that works well for dark circles and under eye puffiness is One Hundred Percent Pure organic coffee bean eye cream. It has the added benefit of a pleasant but slight and non-overwhelming coffee aroma.

To define your lashes and help your eyes to stand out, consider using brown mascara rather than a harsh black one. Or, if you've got green or hazel eyes, a soft plum colored mascara can do wonders to bring out their color. A good, organic mascara to try is Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Mascara.

The skin itself should be kept clean and well hydrated. While it's important to drink plenty of water, there are foundations that can improve your skin's moisture content. One of the best products for this that I've found is Organic Moisturizing Liquid Foundation by a small company called Nvey Eco. More importantly, while undergoing cancer treatment it is especially important to use organic make up and lotions. Your body has so many harsh chemicals attacking it that the complementing of organic makeup can help a patient both look and feel better.

A well tended and pretty face, coupled with classic, comfortable clothing, should really be included in the treatment that doctors provide for cancer patients, but unfortunately it's often overlooked or considered a superficial aspect of that treatment. But as more research is done on the healing effects of looking good, health professionals are becoming aware that attention to beauty and fashion can have a significant impact on the prognosis of their patients.